A direct network has a network topology in which resources are connected together in a direct manner. More specifically, a direct network includes a plurality of routing nodes that are connected together by a plurality of communication links. The routing nodes and communication links define a switching fabric. Each resource is connected to the switching fabric via a single routing node. In operation, the direct network transmits a message between a source resource and a destination resource by passing the message along a direct path defined by a series of routing nodes. The length of the path is defined by its hop count, corresponding to the number of routing nodes that are traversed by the path.
The industry has recently proposed an alternative connection technique in which a single resource is connected to the switching fabric at plural contiguous (immediately adjacent) points in the switching fabric, instead of a single point. This modification is intended to increase the total amount of bandwidth between the resource and the switching fabric. However, this solution does not adequately address other performance-related issues that may affect a direct network.